


I Have Company

by Oneofthe3gs



Series: Company [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kind of creepy in some places, cross posted on AFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:19:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oneofthe3gs/pseuds/Oneofthe3gs
Summary: Hongbin has just moved into his great uncle's old home. The house is beautiful, his neighbors are nice, and life for him couldn't get any better. But what happens when his happy home is haunted by a spirit seeking redemption?





	1. Moving In

     Hongbin bent down to put the heavy box he was carrying on the floor. As he straightened up he stretched his back out, working out all of the kinks that had developed in his spine from carrying multiple boxes into his new home. Luckily the box he had just put down was the last one. If he was being honest with himself he really got lucky with this house. It was one of the most gorgeous houses in the neighborhood, with it being an old victorian style house with high ceilings and chandeliers in almost every room. Some of the windows in his new home were stained glass, and those that weren’t were framed artfully. There had been some renovating in the kitchen to make it more technologically modern, but for the most part it still had the old style it was built with. Hongbin’s favorite part of the house was the grand staircase. It looked like a staircase one would see in a movie. He thanked the universe for blessing him with a rich great uncle that gave him the house. Well his great uncle was dead now, but that didn’t mean he was any less grateful for the house that had been passed down to him when he graduated college. Now Hongbin didn’t have to worry about finding a house, or finding work near it since the studio he now worked for was just down the street. Hongbin didn’t think life for him could get any better. 

 

     Hongbin was shocked out of thoughts by a rough knocking at the door. He wasn’t expecting any company, but he approached the door just in case one of his friends decided to drop by. He opened the door, expecting a familiar face when he was met with a stranger. “Oh, hello. Can I help you with something?” In front of him was a man somewhere around his age if he had to guess. The man had short black hair and golden skin, his teeth shining brightly as he smiled wide. He seemed to be holding a small gift bag in his hands. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” The man said handing him the small bag. “My name is Hakyeon, I live right next door. I hope I wasn’t bothering anything.” Hongbin shook his head, “It’s fine. I was just finishing up with moving in. I’m Hongbin.” He said as he extended an arm out for Hakyeon to shake. “Alright well if you need anything don’t be afraid to drop on by.” Hakyeon gave one last smile before walking back to his house. Hongbin closed the door behind him, and then opened the bag that Hakyeon had given him. Inside of it was a small bag of fresh baked cookies and a small blue candle, which smelled like lavender and blueberries. Hongbin smiled to himself, “A beautiful house and nice neighbors, I really lucked out on this one.” He said to himself before deciding to take a walk around his new neighborhood to relax before unpacking all of his things. Hongbin took a deep breath of fresh air as he walked through the park that wasn’t too far from his house. He took in the warm colors that comes with the autumn, closing his sweater up so he didn’t feel the chill. He decided to take  a rest on the bench that sat in front of a fountain in the middle of the park. He was enjoying the view of a few children chasing after each other when he felt it. That feeling that he always felt when one of his “guests” made a visit.

 

     Hongbin has been able to see the dead since he was a young child. It was a gift passed down from his father’s side of the family. Most of his family simply ignored the “guests” that came through to them, pretending not to see the confused souls that were walking the earth. Hongbin was a lot like his grandmother, in the sense that neither of them could just pretend that they didn’t see these spirits suffering. He couldn’t just stand by and watch the spirits wander around aimlessly, hoping and praying that someone would see them and help them cross over. So much like his grandmother whenever he encountered these spirits he did everything in his power to make sure they were taken care of. Sometimes that came in the form of delivering a message to their surviving loved ones. Other times it came in the form of simply informing them that they were dead. Some days were easy, because the spirit didn’t go through any trauma before death. Most days were hard, because he seemed to attract spirits that died tragically. It wasn’t an easy task, but it was a task he had taken on after his grandmother passed away. He wanted to make sure that her message of kindness to the dead was one that survived in the family. Of course he had his preferences when it came to dealing with the living. The dead he had come to tolerate no matter what their circumstance, but the living were much harder to deal with. Some living people didn’t believe in the afterlife, and some that did clung to the spirits that just wanted to cross over. But on the days that his task got hard he remembered the first spirit he had crossed over, and how proud his grandmother was of him when the spirit walked to the light. 

 

     Today the spirit that decided to visit Hongbin was of a boy no older than the children who were running around in the park. He was chasing some of the children, almost like he was playing with them. But the children didn’t seem to know he was playing with them, since they never acknowledged his presence and the boy was growing increasingly frustrated with this fact.  The boy looked normal, but his wheezing breath and the smoke coming out of his mouth told Hongbin a different story. That told Hongbin that the boy had probably died of smoke inhalation from a fire. Hongbin didn’t feel any connection to the mortal world from the boy, so he didn’t have to deal with any of the living. Hongbin let out a huge sigh. Honestly he would rather deal with a grieving mother than explain to a child that he was dead. But he had made a promise to his grandmother and he knew if he let this spirit go she might come back from the grave to pull at his toes at night. (Something she had done to his father every night until he drew a salt circle around his bed.) So with one more sigh Hongbin stood up from the bench and approached the young boy. 

 

     The boy was standing in the middle of the field, looking very annoyed at the fact that the children were ignoring him even though he was screaming at them. Hongbin sat down next to him, and patted him on the back. “Those kids being mean to you?” He asked. The boy turned to Hongbin and nodded. “I’ve been trying to get them to play with me but . . . “, the boy’s eyes filled with tears, “they keep ignoring me.” Hongbin continued to pat the boy on the back as he spoke. “What’s your name?” The boy sniffled before answering,”Jungwoon.” Hongbin smiled before reaching out his other hand for the boy to shake. “Hi Jungwoon, I’m Hongbin.” Jungwoon shook his hand. “Jungwoon, do you think the reason that they aren’t playing with you is because they can’t see you?” The boy whipped his head at him. “But why didn’t they see me? I was standing in front of them!” “What is the last thing you remember?” Jungwoon thought for a long time. “I was at home, playing with my brother. We were alone because grandma was out with her friends. We wanted food so my brother decided to make something on the stove. But grandma would always warn us about using it so I tried to stop him. When it didn’t work I went to take a nap. And when I woke up the house was gone.” Jungwoon’s eyebrows furrowed. “But where did my house go?” Hongbin bit his lip before answering him. “Jungwoon, I think your house burned down.” The boy’s eyes widened. “But if that’s true then . . .” Jungwoon went silent, but when he spoke again Hongbin knew he remembered the truth. “Hongbin, am I dead?” Hongbin could only nod and hold Jungwoon as he cried from the realization. “Jungwoon, can you listen to me?” The boy nodded. “Do you see a light?” Jungwoon looked up from Hongbin’s shoulder, and soon he let out a gasp. “You see it right? That bright light over there. Do you see anyone in there?” Jungwoon stopped crying then, sounding excited as he answered. “My mommy and daddy are there! And my brother!” Hongbin smiled. “Go to them Jungwoon. They’re waiting for you.” Jungwoon didn’t need to be told twice as he left Hongbin’s arms to run towards the light as fast as his legs could carry him. As soon as he saw and felt Jungwoon had crossed over he flopped onto his back in the middle of the park, taking in the afternoon sky.  _ “Another one gone.” _ , he thought to himself as he stood from the grass. Hongbin brushed himself off before walking back to his new home. 

 

     Hongbin stretched his arms out as he got ready for bed. The day had been long, what with him moving in and sending Jungwoon to the other side. He was so tired when he came home that he just unpacked everything he needed to shower and head to sleep. He reasoned with himself that he would unpack everything else the next day. With one last stretch he laid down in his bed, snuggling into the sheets and sending up a quick kiss to his grandmother. He felt himself fall deeper and deeper into slumber. But soon after he had fallen asleep, unknown to Hongbin since he was deep in dreamland, there was a shadow cast on his bed.

 

**He had a visitor.**

 


	2. A Visit or a Nightmare?

_      When Hongbin opened his eyes he was met with a blinding light. He quickly snapped his eyes shut and groaned before reaching for his phone to check the time. When  his hand was met with nothing but grass his eyes snapped back open and he sat up. Instead of being in his bed like he expected he sat in the middle of a clearing in the woods. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, but this didn’t feel like a dream. It lacked the foggy haze that he felt in dreamland. Everything here felt too real to be a dream, but it didn’t feel like reality either.  _ “Am I being visited?” _ He thought to himself. Before he could wonder about the answer to his question he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He whipped his head to the direction of the movement and was met with a small dog. It looked to be a cream colored french bulldog. If Hongbin had to guess he would say that the bulldog was there to guide him through the visitation. “Hello little guy. Are you here to show me where I need to be?” The dog barked at him before turning around and dashing into the forest. “Hey wait for me!” He shouted before getting up and running after the small dog.  _

 

_ Hongbin noticed that the deeper he got into the forest the worse he felt. When he was in the bright clearing he felt fine, but as time went on everything in his body became a source of pain. His teeth and gums felt incredibly sore, his stomach ached, his legs felt numb, and with every step he got more and more tired. He had never felt this much pain coming from one spirit. Even back when he couldn’t filter out the pain that spirits had felt when they died he had never felt this much pain. He would have to talk to his grandmother about this. In the meantime he continued to follow the dog until they were met with an opening in the woods, which led to a lake. This lake was not like any lake he had seen before. Instead of being filled with calm blue water this lake looked like it was filled with sticky black tar. He walked closer to the lake, just to confirm his suspicions. The dog sat at the edge of the lake, panting slightly from the run. Hongbin took a stick and poked at the liquid in the lake, and sure enough it was tar. Hongbin’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the dog jumping into the lake.  To Hongbin the lake looked and felt like it was made of tar, but the dog looked like it was swimming through water with how easily it swam through the lake. Once it reached the middle the dog was sucked under the water. Hongbin was about to jump into the lake to save the dog when a figure popped out from where the dog once was. Hongbin had a feeling that this was his visitor. _

 

__ _ The figure was tall, but not much taller than him. His hair was two different tones, on one side it was bubblegum pink and on the other side it was lavender. The figure’s eyes looked a bit droopy and here hidden behind thin wire framed glasses. He was wearing what looked to be some hospital garments. The more Hongbin got a feeling for the spirit the more he knew that while he was living he did not look like this. Hongbin wondered why he had changed his appearance in death. Was he in an accident? Did he die violently? Did he die of starvation or disease? Before Hongbin could ask the figure opened his mouth. As soon as he did tar began to flow out of it. The figure wheezed and choked, he was trying to say something but nothing but inky tar came out of his mouth, falling into the lake of tar below. Hongbin stood horrified at the sight. The figure began to walk towards him. Every step was jerky and stiff, the figure looked like a puppet whose strings were cut. Hongbin tried to run, but he was stuck in place. He tried so hard to move his body but he couldn’t even move his eyes away from the sight of the figure getting closer and closer to him. The figure was in his space now, and hands soaked in tar grabbed at his arms. Hongbin’s breathing picked up, to the point where it was hard for him to get a deep breath in. He felt like he was drowning, like the tar from the lake was slowly filling his lungs. It got harder and harder to breathe, and the last thing Hongbin remembers before succumbing to the darkness that was swallowing him whole was a small desperate whisper. “Help me.” _

 

__ Hongbin bolted upright in his bed, taking in huge gulps of air. He thought back to the nightmare he had just had. He wasn’t sure if it was a visitation or not since he couldn’t feel any spirits anywhere in the house. He reasoned that it must have been a nightmare, since during the few times he was visited in his dreams the ghost would stay in the room with him to get help from him. Hongbin took a few more deep breaths as he reasoned with himself that it was just a nightmare, and nothing more. His hair was wet from sweat and plastered to his forehead. He reached up to get the hair out of his eyes when he saw they were covered in tar. The sight of the tar sent Hongbin into a panic. He jumped out of his bed and ran to the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. He turned on the sink, not even caring about the temperature of the water as he rushed to scrub at his skin. He scrubbed harder and harder, still not able to get the tar off of him. His eyes filled with tears, blurring his vision to the point that he could see nothing but the blackness of the tar on his pale skin. He began to sob in fear that he would never be able to get it off. But he wanted to get it off so badly that he continued to scrub harder and harder at his skin.  _ “Get it off. Get it off. Get it off. GET IT OFF!” _ he thought to himself as he grew more and more desperate. He jerked his hands out of the sink and rushed over to turn on the shower. Right when he was about to turn it on there was a ringing that went through his home.  _ “The doorbell.” _ He thought to himself as he turned his head to the source of the noise. The doorbell rang out once more. Hongbin turned back to look at his arms and saw that the tar was gone. Instead he saw that his hands and arms were bright red and they felt raw. He looked at the sink and saw that the water was steaming from how hot it was. He let out a few shuddered breaths as he sank to the floor, trying to collect himself from the whole ordeal. 

 

After he managed to calm himself down, Hongbin got up from the floor and cooled down the temperature of the water coming from the sink. He then rinsed his arms in the cool water and wet his face to help get rid of the redness from all the crying. He took a deep breath before turning off the water and slowly making his way down the stairs to his front door. When he opened the door there was nobody there, but there was a bouquet of flowers placed in front of the door. He looked around to see if anyone was around, but the street was empty. He picked up the vase and brought the bouquet inside reading the note that had come with the flowers.  **_“Congrats on your new home!- Jack Attack Johnson”_ ** Hongbin chuckled at the letter, remembering his friend Jackie from college.  She was a funny exchange student he had met in one of his photography courses, but she moved back to America before they could graduate. Thinking of the photography class reminded him that today was his first day at the studio. He looked at the clock in his living room before rushing back upstairs. He only had twenty minutes to get to work before he was late. After rushing to get ready he grabbed a piece of fruit from the counter as breakfast and ran out the door. He made it just in time, but he looked like a panting mess as he stood in front of his new coworkers. “Sorry. I had a rough morning and time slipped by.” One of his coworkers stood up and gave him a pat on the back. “It’s no problem. You made it just in time. My name is Jaehwan, my desk is right next to yours. How about we get you settled into your desk and then I can give you a tour of the place.” “Sounds good. I’m Hongbin by the way.” Jaehwan smiled before leading Hongbin to his desk. 

 

“And finally this is the main studio. This is going to be a place that you are going to be working a lot in. As you can see there are a lot of lights and props in the room, so don’t be afraid to use any of it. Any questions?” Jaehwan said as he showed Hongbin the large room. “No I think I know roughly the set up, but if I have any questions later on I can just ask you.” “Great! So if you don’t mind me asking what brings you here?” “What do you mean?” “I don’t know, this is just one of those towns that is so small no one really wants to move in. Most people would be happy to leave.” Hongbin gave Jaehwan a smile. “I kind of like the feel of this town. Everyone seems nice, and everything I need is within walking distance of my house. Plus my great uncle passed a really nice house onto me when he died, so I didn’t want to pass up a free house.” Jaehwan nodded. “I mean who would say no to a free house?” They both continued to talk while they made their way to the door at the end of the long hallway they were walking in. Hongbin looked at the door seeing the name of his boss etched onto the plaque nailed to it.  _ Jung Taekwoon _ , the plaque said. “So this is where I leave you. Don’t worry about Taekwoon, he may look cold and scary but he’s a real sweetheart when you get past the poker face.” Jaehwan gave him a few slaps on the back before heading to his desk. Hongbin took a deep breath before knocking on the door. “Come in.” said the voice of his boss.  Hongbin opened the door slowly. “Good morning Mr. Jung. My name is Hongbin, I’m the new photographer.” When Hongbin looked up he was horrified.

 

**Standing behind Taekwoon’s desk was the figure from his dream.**

  
  



	3. Connection

     Hongbin stood stock still at the sight of the figure behind Taekwoon’s desk. How had he not felt the spirit before entering the room? He shifted his focus from the face of the figure to his hands, which were resting softly on the shoulders of his new boss. The figure’s index fingers were slowly rubbing from Taekwoon’s collarbones to his neck and back down. Speaking of Taekwoon, Hongbin was shocked by the state of Taekwoon’s face. He had on the poker face that Jaehwan had mentioned earlier, but his eyes were leaking tears made of the tar that haunted his dream. He looked back to the figure who was still silent behind Taekwoon. The figure stared back at him, but he leaned down so his arms were wrapped around Taekwoon’s shoulders and his chin rested on Taekwoon’s head. “Help him.” Was all the figure said before vanishing. 

 

     “-bin? Hongbin, are you okay?” Hongbin shook his head before looking at Taekwoon, noticing that the black tears had faded from his face. “Huh?” “I asked if you’re okay. You introduced yourself and then you zoned out.” Hongbin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’m fine. I must be coming down with something, I didn’t even realize I spaced out.” Hongbin let out a nervous chuckle after that. Taekwoon stood up from his chair and slowly walked over to Hongbin. He rested the back of his hand on Hongbin’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm, but if you do come down with something later in the day you should see a doctor. I don’t want anyone to catch anything.” Hongbin’s cheeks went a little pink as he nodded his head. “Will do Mr. Jung.” Taekwoon removed his hand, his face still devoid of emotion. “Good.” Taekwoon said as he walked to his desk. He then leaned back on the desk, crossing his arms across his chest. “Oh, and you don’t have to call me Mr.Jung. You can if it makes you more comfortable but most people in the office just call me Taekwoon.” Hongbin tilted his head a bit. “Which do you prefer?” Taekwoon bit his lip before answering. “I prefer Taekwoon.” “Taekwoon it is then.”  Taekwoon gave him a small smile. “So do you have any questions for me?” Hongbin badly wanted to ask about the figure he had seen. He wasn’t sure how but the figure was connected to Taekwoon, and the connection was a strong one from what Hongbin felt. When the spirit was living the two must have been extremely close. But Hongbin knew he couldn’t ask, because he didn’t know Taekwoon that well and he wasn’t even sure what the figure wanted him to do. “I don’t think I have any. Jaehwan did a great job of showing me around so I guess I’m good for now.” “That’s good to hear. If any questions do come up don’t hesitate to ask. And welcome to the studio.” Hongbin smiled widely before opening the door to leave the office. 

 

     Hongbin made his way to his desk before sitting down and letting out a huge breath. Jaehwan gave him a few pats on the back. “That good of a first meeting huh?” Hongbin rested his forehead on the desk. “I made a fool out of myself.” Jaehwan hummed in sympathy. “Yeah, he’s really intimidating at first. Don’t worry, he’ll warm up to you.” Hongbin nodded before he straightened himself up. “Can I ask a question about him?” Jaehwan nodded. “Do you know anything about him? Like outside of work?” Jaehwan hissed through his teeth. “Not much. He’s really private about what goes on outside of work. All I know is that he lives alone in his childhood home, and I had to get him really drunk for him to even tell me about that.” Hongbin nodded in understanding. “Okay, I was just curious.” Hongbin got to work after that. Or at least he tried his hardest to. The entire time he was working he kept thinking back to how the figure interacted with Taekwoon. 

 

     At the end of the day Hongbin walked back home still thinking about it. How did the figure and Taekwoon know each other? There were so many answers for that question. He felt like he needed a nap after all of the mental gymnastics his brain was doing to try and figure out how he would get the correct answer to his questions. He sighed deeply as he finally made it home. He flopped onto the couch, looking at the ceiling of his living room. Something else that had consumed his thoughts throughout the day was how the figure had died. The hospital clothes told Hongbin that either the figure had died in the hospital, or he visited the hospital frequently when he was alive. The fact that the figure changed his appearance in death told him that the figure didn’t want to look how he did when he died. But how did the tar play into it? Surely there weren’t any pits of tar lying around to drown in. So was the tar more of a symbol of something else that contributed to his death? Hongbin rubbed his eyes in frustration. There were too many questions. Hongbin decided the next day he would go snooping around some public records. Maybe there would be something about the figure there. If the figure was connected to Taekwoon, and Taekwoon was living in his childhood home, then maybe there would be something about the connection the two had in some newspapers. Hongbin got off the couch and made some dinner. He wasn’t the best cook but his grandmother had taught him enough to not starve to death. After eating his dinner and cleaning up after himself Hongbin went to bed. He was a little afraid of being visited during the night again, but maybe this time he would learn more about the figure. 

 

_      Hongbin opened his eyes to a room he didn’t recognise. The room was much bigger than his, and instead of calming blue the walls around him were grey. The floor under the bed he was sitting on was full of toys. He heard a noise by the door, and the dog from his other visitation stood there. “So we meet again.” Hongbin said to the dog. The dog ran up to him and sat in between in crossed legs. The little dog rested his head on Hongbin’s calves. “Oh so we’re in the right place this time?” The dog let out a huff. Two boys ran into the room, laughing while they chased each other around the room. “You can’t catch me Taekwoonie!” One of the boys said. “ _ Taekwoon?” _ Hongbin looked at the other boy in the room, and sure enough he looked like a younger version of Taekwoon. He had the same sharp eyes and round face. The biggest difference was his hair, since the Taekwoon he knew had silvery locks. But who was the other boy? When Hongbin got a good look at him he realized it was the figure as a child. So Taekwoon and the spirit had known each other since childhood? Hongbin continued to watch the scene in from of him. The boys continued to laugh and chase each other. But suddenly the boy playing with Taekwoon stopped running. He was clutching at his stomach, his eyes squeezing in pain. “Wonshik? Wonshik what’s wrong?” The figure,  who he now knew was named Wonshik, collapsed, and it sounded like he was struggling to breath. Taekwoon grabbed Wonshik’s shoulders, shaking him a bit before running off. Hongbin could hear him shouting, “MOM! Come quick something’s wrong with Wonshik!” Just then the room started spinning around him, changing from the messy room he was in to a hospital room.  _

 

_      Wonshik was laid in a bed in front of him, his breath still wheezing. He was wearing an oxygen mask and was on an IV drip. Taekwoon sat by his side, tightly grabbing onto his hand. There was a woman standing behind him, if Hongbin had to guess she was Taekwoon’s mother, slowly petting Wonshik’s hair. Taekwoon looked extremely distressed, which was understandable given what had happened. “Mom, Wonshik is going to be okay, right?” Taekwoon looked up at the woman, who smiled softly at her son. “Of course he is. He’ll get better, we just have to wait to see what the doctor says will help.” A man walked in at that time, but from what Hongbin could see he wasn’t a doctor. Taekwoon looked at the man. “Hi Dad.” Taekwoon’s father smiled at him. “Hey champ, how are you?” Taekwoon shrugged his shoulders. “I’m okay. I’m more worried about Wonshik.” Taekwoon’s father patted him on the back. “Don’t worry Taekwoon, Wonshik will get better. And when he wakes up the first face he’ll see is his big brother’s right?”  _ “Big Brother? They’re Brothers?”  _ Hongbin thought to himself. It made sense since he saw that there were no other adults in the room. Hongbin smacked his forehead from not realizing sooner that they were brothers. He looked back at the scene, their mother was speaking. “Wonshik will get better, and once he does we’ll do everything to make sure he doesn’t have to come back here. Okay Taekwoon?” Hongbin looked to the side of her and saw the older version of Wonshik, the version he had come to know, was standing next to his mother. “Liar.”  _

 

     Hongbin woke up suddenly. he wasn’t sure what woke him up since it didn’t seem like the dream he was having was finished. He let out a sigh before covering his face with his hands.  _ “Liar? What does he mean by liar?” _ Hongbin sat up in bed, stretching his arms out. The deeper he got into this spirit’s history the more confused he became. He had new information that made it a little clearer, like the fact that the spirit’s name was Wonshik and the connection he shared with Taekwoon was that of a sibling. But the Wonshik he knew was older, so he hadn’t died that day at the hospital. So how did he die? Was Taekwoon connected to his death in some way? And why did the older Wonshik call his mother a liar? What was she lying about? Hongbin looked up from his lap and froze.

 

**Wonshik was sitting at the end of his bed.**

 


	4. What Happened?

     Hongbin sat there looking at Wonshik. Wonshik was looking back, unblinking and silent. Hongbin didn’t really know how to start the conversation, but he figured saying anything to break the silence would be better than this staring contest. “So your name is Wonshik?” The spirit nodded. “And Taekwoon is your brother?” Another nod. “I see. So, if you don’t mind me asking. Why did you call your mother a liar? What was she lying about?” The spirit’s blank face turned into one of anger. “Everything. I don’t think there was a time she ever told the truth really.” Wonshik got closer to Hongbin on the bed. “She promised me and Taekwoon so many things, and she never stuck by her word. And for that my brother is suffering.” Hongbin’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why is he suffering? What did she do to you two?” Wonshik licked his lips then. “ I think it would be easier if I just showed you.” After saying that Wonshik gently placed his palm on Wonshik’s forehead. Hongbin closed his eyes and was met with a vision.

 

     _Hongbin was back in the bedroom he was before. But it looked different. There were no toys thrown about the room, in their place where some pieces of clothing and pages of sheet music. Hongbin heard music coming from another room, so he got out of the bed he was sitting on and walked to the source of the noise. He walked into another room that had a grand piano in the center, and there were a few other instruments around the room. But the piano was a centerpiece no doubt. At the bench of the piano were Taekwoon and Wonshik. They looked different from the last time he saw them. Taekwoon looked older, his shoulders had filled out, and he was almost the height that the Taekwoon he knew was. Wonshik looked worse for wear. In the last vision Hongbin had, Wonshik looked like a healthy young boy. But in his teenage years Wonshik looked sickly. His face was gaunt, and it looked like he had shaved his hair off. Unlike Taekwoon he wasn’t sitting on the bench, rather he was sitting in a wheelchair next to it  His head was resting on Taekwoon’s shoulder and Taekwoon sat at the very edge of the bench to accommodate him. Taekwoon was playing the piano. The tune was soothing, but there was a sadness to it that pulled at Hongbin’s heart strings. “Taekwoon. Do you think I’ll die?” Taekwoon’s fingers jerked on the keys, and then there was silence. Taekwoon turned his head. “Why would you say that?” Wonshik lifted his head. “Because that’s all mom talks about. She just talks about how sick I am and how much money we’re spending on my medical bills. I mean she seems convinced that I’m gonna be gone any day now.” Taekwoon bit his lip. “We can’t think like that Wonshik. Positive thinking remember?” Wonshik scoffed. “Thoughts can only do so much Woon. If thoughts could cure cancer I’m sure I would have been healed by now. But here I am. Taking all these medicines that seem to be doing more harm than good.” Wonshik slams a hand onto the piano keys. “And the worst part is somedays I feel fine. Somedays I feel so normal, like I’m not sick at all. I have the energy to just live life, but it all comes crashing down the next day.” A few tears slip out of Wonshik’s eyes. “I don’t wanna die.” He says quietly, letting out a sob before repeating himself. “I don’t wanna die Woonie. I’m scared.” More sobs wracked Wonshik’s thin frame. Taekwoon wrapped his arms around his brother. He squeezes him tightly, not letting go when Wonshik tries to wiggle out of his grasp. “Listen to me. You aren’t gonna die. Mom and Dad will do everything in their power to make sure of that.” Taekwoon rubbed comforting circles onto his brother’s back. Eventually they ended up crying together. Hongbin looked up from the scene and saw Wonshik looking down at the memory. “He was wrong.” Was all he said before the scene changed._

 

_      Hongbin is standing in a kitchen now. Wonshik’s mother was taking care of his medication for the day. After making sure she had all of his medicines she walked into the living room, where Wonshik was walking from one side of the room to the other. “Wonshik! How many times have I told you not to walk around?!” Wonshik looked like a deer in the headlights. “But-but mom, I feel fine. Shouldn’t I only be using a wheelchair if I can’t walk? Look, I’m walking fine.” Wonshik’s mother was hearing none of it as she herded him back into the wheelchair. “I’ve told you before Wonshik, you need to stay in your wheelchair.” Wonshik sighed. The Wonshik next to Hongbin spoke then. “I never questioned her about it again. She was my mom, why would she lie to me. She said I needed to stay in the wheelchair because the doctor said my legs would get weaker from the cancer. I never understood it though. I felt healthy most of the time.” Hongbin looked back to the scene and saw Wonshik drinking his medication. The Wonshik next to him sneered. “Those ‘medicines’ she fed me everyday. She was in charge of giving them to me. No one else saw what they were and no one else picked up my ‘prescriptions’.” Wonshik shook his head, his face twisted into an ugly scowl. “Those are all herbal supplements.” Hongbin looked at Wonshik is shock. “Wait, you didn’t need the wheelchair and those medicines are fake?” Wonshik jerked his head in the direction of the memory in front of him. “I never knew it, but look at what she was doing.” Hongbin looked back at Mrs.Jung, who was talking on the phone. “I’m telling you Hyejin this sympathy card is a goldmine. I pull up a sob story that the kid is dying and the cash flows in.” There is a pause before Mrs.Jung let’s out a peel of laughter. “Of course the kid doesn’t know he’s not dying. He’s just as fooled as everyone else. If anyone ever questions how sick he is I just put a little rat poison in his soup.” Another pause. “If he dies he dies. Why should I care? I never wanted kids anyway. Besides if he actually kicks the bucket it just gets me more sympathy money.” Hongbin was horrified. How could someone be so cruel? He turns to Wonshik, whose eyes are filled with tears that are threatening to fall. “She lied. She always lied. She lied about being a good mother. She lied about my health to everyone. She lied about loving me.” Wonshik rubbed at his eyes. All of this raised a question that Hongbin had wanted to ask since he first laid eyes on Wonshik. “How did you die?” Wonshik sniffled. “I can’t show you. Please don’t ask me to show you that day.” Hongbin’s mouth became a straight line. “I know you don’t want to go back to that day. But I need to know what happened Wonshik. You don’t have to show me. But tell me?” Wonshik wrapped his arms around his waist, it looked like he was physically trying to keep himself together. “It was maybe three years back? My dad was starting to get really suspicious of my mom since he never saw any medical bills in the mail. I was going to the hospital like three times a month. So he confronted her about it. She got paranoid after just being able to slip out of it. She wanted to prove that I was sick, so she made the soup again. But she put something different in it. It was so much stronger than the rat poison and she just put it in thinking I was just gonna get a little bit sicker than usual.” Wonshik squeezed his waist tighter. “I was with Taekwoon and I just . . . I just started getting really sick. It was hard to breath, I was throwing up blood, and my stomach felt like it was on fire. And Taekwoon did everything he could to help. But I didn’t make it. Oh Hongbin, the look on his face when he figured out I had passed. He was devastated. But when he figured out what my mother had been doing . . . I never want to see him like that again. He broke.” Wonshik couldn’t stop the tears this time. “He would sit at my grave, just crying and apologising to me. He would kneel in the rain and hug my tombstone, wailing about how it should have been him. He would scream for hours, asking for us to trade places. How could he think that?!?” Hongbin gathered Wonshik in his arms. Hongbin was shaking, trying his hardest to keep his tears at bay. “That’s why I need you to help him. I can’t cross over knowing that my brother still thinks that it’s his fault that I’m dead. I can’t be happy in the afterlife if I know that my brother is suffering because of what that witch did to me. Please Hongbin, you have to help him!” Wonshik grabbed the front of Hongbin’s shirt, wrinkling the fabric. Hongbin patted him on the back. “I will do everything in my power to help. I want you to be happy, and Taekwoon deserves to be happy too after all that has happened.” Wonshik looked at Hongbin in the eyes, a small smile graced his face. “Thank You Hongbin. Thank you so much.” A bright light engulfed them both.  _

 

     Hongbin opened his eyes and noticed he was back in his room. Wonshik was gone, but Hongbin found a strange peace with that after everything he just saw. He slowly got out of bed. It was much too early to get ready for work, but Hongbin felt like he needed to get out of the house and just walk for a while. Hongbin locked his door and started walking. He felt Wonshik’s presence next to him. “Go to the cemetery. It’s my anniversary.” That was all Wonshik said before he disappeared. Hongbin knew what Wonshik was hinting at and sped his pace up a bit. Hongbin had never been to the cemetery, but his instincts led him to the right place. Hongbin tightened his coat as he slowed his pace, the night air chilling him to his bones. Hongbin looked carefully for Wonshik’s tombstone. The sight that greeted Hongbin’s eyes when he found the grave broke his heart for the third time that night.

 

**Taekwoon was curled in a ball on the ground in front of the tombstone.**

  
  



	5. Getting Home

     Hongbin looked closely at the figure of his boss curled in a ball on the cold ground in front of Wonshik’s tombstone. He looked like he was curled around something, his arms crossed tightly over the object he was squeezing against his chest. Taekwoon’s face didn’t look peaceful with slumber, he looked like the act of sleeping was bringing him a great amount of pain. There were dried tear tracks on his face. As much as Hongbin didn’t want to wake Taekwoon up he knew he had to. The ground under Taekwoon was cold, and it’s coldness was seeping into his slumbering form. Hongbin could tell that Taekwoon must have been in this spot for a while, considering that he was shaking and his nose and fingertips were bright red from the cold. Hongbin knelt down to the ground and started to shake Taekwoon awake. “Taekwoon. Taekwoon, wake up. You need to go home or else you’ll get really sick.” Instead of waking up Taekwoon only let out a long whine of annoyance before uncurling enough to let loose the thing he was curled around. Hongbin looked at what it was. It looked to be a purple teddy bear. It wore a little onesie that was decorated with little choppers. Wonshik let out a small gasp. “No way. He kept Jyani? I thought he would have been the first thing that witch got rid of.” “Any specific reason it’s named Jyani?” Wonshik let out a chuckle. “You know Jaehwan from the studio?” “Yeah.” “Well he would always come over our house when I was little, since he loved to annoy Taekwoon.” Wonshik looked fondly at his brother as he remembered. “Jaehwan gave me Jyani one day after my mom told him about my ‘illness’. He bought him for me so I always had a friend, even when I was alone in the hospital for the night. I guess Taekwoon needs him more than I do right now.” Hongbin looked back at Taekwoon, a sad sigh escaping his lips before he got back to the task of waking him up. His second attempt was more successful.

 

     Taekwoon’s eyes fluttered open. He let out a groan before fully stretching himself out. Just then Hongbin heard something hit the ground. He saw something glittering on the floor near Taekwoon’s lap, and when he picked it up he saw it was a bottle of wine. Hongbin tipped the bottle upside down, his suspicions confirmed as not even a drop of wine came out of the bottle. “Taekwoon did you drink this entire bottle by yourself?” In his response Taekwoon let out a little giggle. “Maaaaaybe.”  Hongbin couldn’t help but smile a bit at Taekwoon’s response. “Okay. Time to get you home.” Taekwoon seemed distressed by the idea of leaving the graveyard, to the point that he wrapped his long arms around Wonshik’s tombstone. “Not going.” “But Taekwoon, it’s cold outside. You’ll get sick if you stay out here.” Taekwoon rested his hot cheek onto the cool stone he was hugging tightly. “Not leaving my brother.” “Taekwoon-” “I’m not leaving him!” Tears had sprung to Taekwoon’s eyes, his words slurring as he got more upset. “Not again. Can’t leave him again.” Hongbin felt his heart aching from the sight in front of him, but he knew Taekwoon couldn’t stay out for much longer since his fingernails were starting to turn blue. Hongbin took a deep breath before slipping his arms under Taekwoon’s armpits and pulling as hard as he could. It only took Hongbin a few seconds to pry Taekwoon from the tombstone but Hongbin struggled to keep Taekwoon calm. Taekwoon was in hysterics, tears poured down his face as he tried to thrash out of Hongbin’s grasp. “Let me go! I can’t leave him again please!” Hongbin sat on the ground and held Taekwoon in his grasp,  his arms were wrapped around Taekwoon’s chest. Taekwoon started to claw weakly at Hongbin’s arms to get out of his grasp. Hongbin started to rock Taekwoon back and forth, whispering calming words into his ear. “It’s okay Taekwoon. You can leave. He’ll understand.” Eventually Taekwoon calmed down, his sobs had turned to sniffles as Hongbin felt him go lax in his arms. “Come on Taekwoon, let’s get you home.” Hongbin finally managed to get Taekwoon to stand and they started to walk to Taekwoon’s house. 

 

     Halfway through the trek home Taekwoon had fallen back asleep. Hongbin decided to carry him the rest of the way home, with Wonshik giving him directions along the way. Hongbin noticed that unlike the last time Taekwoon was unconscious his face looked relaxed and peaceful. His dark eyelashes rested gently against his cheeks, and soft puffs of air escaped his mouth and hit Hongbin’s collarbones. Hongbin was relieved that Taekwoon was relaxed, but he mourned his back since he could already feel it getting sore from wandering around with a grown man in his arms. Finally they arrived at Taekwoon’s house. At the sight of it Wonshik withered a bit. “Hey you okay?” Hongbin asked. Wonshik looked a bit nervous. “Yeah. It’s just  . . . this place doesn’t exactly bring back memories of sunshine and rainbows you know?” Hongbin nodded. “Yeah I get it. Do you want to stay behind?” “No! I’ll go in.” Hongbin looked back at the house. “The question is how do we get inside.” Wonshik racked his brain for a bit before snapping his fingers. “ Oh! Taekwoon has a housemate that can open the door for you. That way you don’t have to fumble with trying to get Taekwoon’s keys without waking him up.” “That’s good to know. Thanks Wonshik.” Hongbin readjusted Taekwoon in his arms before going up at the door and giving it a few hard kicks, Wonshik following after him.

 

     A young man answered the door, he looked worried out of his mind as he yanked it open. “Taekwoon, do you know how late it is? I was about to go hunt you down.” The young man looked up and saw Hongbin there. “I don’t think he knows how late it is. He’s not sober enough to tell time, nonetheless be concerned about it.” The young man moves toward Taekwoon quickly. “Oh my God! Is he okay? He wasn’t hurt was he? That idiot I told him not to go drinking today. Oh, come in! You can put him on the couch.” Hongbin carried Taekwoon in and out him on the couch the young man directed him to. “Thanks for bringing him. And you are?” The man said extending his arm out to shake hands. “I’m Hongbin. I know Taekwoon from work. And you’re his house mate I’m assuming?” “Yeah. I’m Sanghyuk. I’m kind of his half housemate, half babysitter.” Hongbin let out a chuckle. “Well I should get going. It’s pretty late.” Hongbin turned to leave but he saw Wonshik standing at the door leading out of the room. “Can you stay here for the night? I’m worried about Taekwoon but-”, Wonshik looked at his hands, “I can’t touch him.” Hongbin smiled at Wonshik before he turned back to Sanghyuk. “Actually, do you think it would be okay if I slept here? I don’t want to intrude but it’s so late and my house is on the other side of town.” Sanghyuk nodded. “Sure, I don’t have a problem with it. Let me just get you some blankets and a pillow, are you okay with sleeping on the other couch?” “I don’t have a problem with it.” Sanghyuk left the room to get the blankets while Hongbin made himself a bit more comfortable by taking off his jacket and shoes, since he was too busy carrying Taekwoon to do so earlier. “Thanks Hongbin. I’m so glad that I finally have a way to take care of him. Usually on nights like this I have to sit by and watch.” “No problem. Consider me your hands and mouth for the night.” Wonshik smiled at the words coming out of Hongbin’s mouth. “Well since you’re my mouth for the night can you ask Sanghyuk a few questions for me?” “Sure, what do you want me to ask?” Wonshik bit his lip before answering. “Can you ask him how he and Taekwoon met? And why they’re living together? Back when Sanghyuk moved in I still didn’t have enough energy to leave the house. And they never talk about Sanghyuk’s life before he moved here. ” “I’ll be sure to ask him.” Sanghyuk came back into the room at that time.

 

     “Here you go. This should be good for the night, but don’t be afraid to let me know if you need something else.” Sanghyuk said as he handed Hongbin a large pile of blankets. “Thanks.” Hongbin set up the blankets on the couch. Once he was done he turned back to Sanghyuk, who was propping a pillow under Taekwoon’s head so he didn’t have a crick in his neck the next morning. “You seem to care a lot about him.” Hongbin said as he took a seat on the couch. Sanghyuk smiled fondly at Taekwoon. “He’s like the big brother I never had.” “So how did you two meet? He never talks about his personal life at work so I didn’t even know he had a housemate.” Sanghyuk’s face fell a little bit. “Ah well. We met at the coffee shop that’s not too far from here. I worked as a barista and he was a regular. At first he was really scary, so we didn’t really talk much. But I think he started warming up to me, he started having little conversations with me. Asking about my day and talking about stuff he was working on. Soon we just became really close friends.” “And that’s why you guys live together right?” Sanghyuk’s face fell a little more. “Not exactly. My parents  . . . died in a crash when I was little.” “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Hongbin said as he walked over to Sanghyuk and squeezed his hand. Hongbin checked to make sure there were no spiritual connections made with Sanghyuk. There were none. Hongbin sighed in relief knowing that Sanghyuk’s parents had crossed over. “So what happened after that?” “I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle. They weren’t exactly keen on the idea of having me live with them. They pretended that I didn’t exist. I would talk and they pretended not to hear me. During meals they didn’t talk to me, or if they did it was to tell me not to eat so much of their food. I didn’t even have my own room. They had me sleep in the living room on the floor, sometimes they stepped on me like I was part of the floor.” Hongbin squeezed Sanghyuk’s hand tighter. “That’s awful.” “The worst part was no one even noticed. All those years of being starved and neglected, and not one person noticed. I even told people about it, but my aunt and uncle were good to their own children and they would always spin the story so that it looked like I was starving myself and pushing people away when they got concerned. So I was stuck in that hell. That is until I met Taekwoon.” Sanghyuk looked at Taekwoon once again. He put his free hand on Taekwoon’s arm. “It started out in subtle gestures. He made plates of food and told me to eat them because they were new recipes he was trying out that he wanted a second opinion on. Or on the rare occasions he didn’t have the time to cook he would buy me food and pretend he bought too much for himself. I was growing really fast, but my aunt and uncle never got me new clothes when I outgrew my old clothes. Taekwoon noticed how small everything was, so he started bringing clothes. One day he asked me about what life was like for me at home. I told him everything, and he got me out of that house a few days later. We’ve been living together ever since.” Sanghyuk tightened his grip on Taekwoon’s arm. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank him enough for everything he’s done for me.” A few tears escaped Sanghyuk’s eyes at that point.

 

**Hongbin wrapped Sanghyuk in the biggest hug he could.**

 


	6. Regrets

     After comforting Sanghyuk, Hongbin bid him a good night. Sanghyuk went up to his own room after Hongbin swore he would take care of Taekwoon if he woke up in the middle of the night. With Sanghyuk up in his room, Hongbin got comfortable on the couch as he fell asleep. It felt like Hongbin had only been asleep for a minute or two before Wonshik was shaking him awake. “Hongbin! Hongbin get up! Taekwoon is awake.” Once he heard that Hongbin bolted upright on the couch, looking over to the one across from him to see that Taekwoon was in fact awake. It looked like he was on his way to the kitchen, but the way he was stumbling around told Hongbin he was still very much drunk. “Taekwoon?” Hongbin said cautiously as he got up from the couch. Taekwoon spun around, a drunken smile gracing his face when he saw Hongbin. “Heeeyyy Binnie!” Taekwoon said as he wildly waved one of his arms in greeting. He giggled a bit before leaning against the doorway he was standing in front of. “Whatcha doin’ in my house?” “I brought you home, but it’s so late I didn’t feel like traveling.” Taekwoon nodded his head, well it was more like he was flopping his head forwards and backwards. “Okie dokie.” Taekwoon turned back around before stumbling the rest of the way into the kitchen. Hongbin quickly followed after him. Taekwoon held the counter top as he made his way to one of the cabinets in the kitchen. Once he opened it Hongbin saw that the cabinet held all of the cups they owned. Taekwoon looked up and tried to reach for a cup that was on the top shelf. His fingertips just grazed the cup he was reaching for. “Always keeping my cups up there, the damn giant.” Taekwoon grumbled as he just managed to grab the cup he wanted. However, he ended up losing his balance in the process. Hongbin managed to grab him before he hit the floor. Taekwoon looked up at Hongbin, the smile back on his face. “Hi Binnie. Has anyone ever told you you’re pretty? Wait! Binnie. Pretty. That rhymes!” Taekwoon got up and managed to get himself a cup of water without hurting himself. After that Hongbin managed to herd Taekwoon back to his couch. Just as he was about to go back to his own couch Hongbin felt a tug on his arm. “Can you stay? Pleeeease?” At the pout Taekwoon had on his face, and the nod of approval Wonshik gave, Hongbin agreed. Hongbin just managed to squeeze himself onto the couch with Taekwoon. It was a tight fit, and Hongbin had to wrap his arms around Taekwoon to fit just right. Taekwoon snuggled into Hongbin’s chest before falling asleep, a “Pretty Binnie” falling from his lips just before he finally lost consciousness once again. Hongbin sighed before covering them with a blanket and closing his own eyes.

 

     Once the morning came Taekwoon noticed two things as he woke up. The first thing he noticed was that he had a splitting headache. His brain was practically screaming at him for thinking it was a good idea to drink an entire bottle of wine by himself. The second thing he noticed was that his pillow was moving up and down steadily. Once that thought hit him the rest of his thoughts came screeching to a halt. _“Pillows don’t move.”_ He thought to himself. Taekwoon forced his eyes open to see what he was sleeping on. His eyes widened when he saw he was sleeping on someone’s chest. They widened further when he saw whose chest he was sleeping on. _“Hongbin?”_ Taekwoon took a few deep breaths as he tried not to panic. _“Okay Taek, let’s take some inventory. Let’s see. Well for one I’m alive. So that’s good. My clothes are still on, so we didn’t do anything. I’m home, so we haven’t been kidnapped. So what happened last night?”_ Taekwoon’s thoughts were interrupted by Hongbin beginning to wake up. Taekwoon slammed his eyes shut, hoping that Hongbin would think he’s still asleep. 

 

     Hongbin took a deep breath before looking down at Taekwoon. “I know you’re awake Taekwoon.” Taekwoon opened his eyes then. “How did you know?” Hongbin chuckled. “I didn’t. I just wanted to see if you were actually asleep.” Taekwoon gave Hongbin a soft slap on the chest before getting up from the couch. “So do you remember any of last night or were you completely blacked out?” Taekwoon thought back to the night before. “I remember being at the graveyard, and I remember you bringing me home. But after that is a bit of a blurr.” Hongbin smirked at Taekwoon. “So the name ‘Pretty Binnie’ doesn’t ring a bell?” Taekwoon looked confused. “Pretty Binnie?” Taekwoon tried to remember and when he did he let out a mortified groan as he sunk to the ground. “I actually called you that?” Hongbin let out a roar of laughter. Taekwoon clutched at his head from the pain the noise brought to him. “Can we pretend I didn’t say that?” “What? That you asked if anyone has ever told me I was pretty? Or that you were so amazed when you realised pretty and Binnie kind of rhymed?” Taekwoon let out another groan before standing up. “Can you forget all of it? I just want to pretend none of it happened. Okay?” Hongbin let out one last chuckle. “Alright. I’ll pretend it never happened. Now I should get going, I need to go home and get ready for work. Tell Sanghyuk I said bye.” With that Hongbin left the house.

 

     Hongbin was called into Taekwoon’s office in the middle of the work day. Hongbin made sure to knock on the door before walking in. “You wanted to see me?” Taekwoon was leaning back in his chair with a small pack of ice resting on his forehead. Once Hongbin walked in he gestured for him to close the door. Once Hongbin did Taekwoon sat up in his chair slowly, making sure that the ice was still in place. “I, um, just wanted to thank you for yesterday. I don’t remember everything, but I know for a fact you brought me home last night. So thank you.” Hongbin smiled widely at him. “No problem. I’m here anytime you need me.” Taekwoon nodded a bit at his answer. “Well then can you do me a favor tonight?” “What is it?” Taekwoon let out a sigh. “Sanghyuk wants me to invite you over for dinner tonight. Something about a ‘proper thank you for putting up with my drunk ass.’ I told him you might not want to come over but he said he won’t let me in the house if I don’t convince you.” Hongbin chuckled. “So you need your Pretty Binnie to comeover to make Sanghyuk happy?” Taekwoon looked like he was about to throw the ice pack in his hand at Hongbin’s head. “Hey, remember I’m your boss. A little respect during work hours?” Hongbin stopped laughing immediately. “Alright. I’ll come over. Besides I have some things I need to talk to you about outside of work hours.” Taekwoon looked confused. “Why can’t you tell me here?” “I don’t think you want to talk about it here. Just trust me when I say it’s better if I tell you outside of work hours.” Taekwoon pouted a bit before telling Hongbin the time he should come over. Hongbin left the office with a nod.

 

     “You’re gonna tell him tonight?” Wonshik said as he sat on Hongbin’s bed as he got ready for dinner. “No better time than the present right? I think he’s been carrying around this guilt about your death for long enough.” Wonshik looked to the ground. “Yeah I guess you’re right.” He said softly. Hongbin looked back at Wonshik. “Is something wrong?” Wonshik shook his head. “It’s nothing.” “It can’t be nothing if you look so sad. What’s up?” Hongbin kneeled so him and Wonshik were eye to eye. “It’s just. I’m a little nervous.” “About?” “Everything! What if he gets mad at me for staying around for so long? Or what if he doesn’t want me to cross over once he knows I’m still here? And what exactly is waiting for me on the other side of that light? What if I’m not welcomed on the other side?” Wonshik started to tremble a bit as he continued to ask questions. Hongbin rested his hands on Wonshik’s biceps. “I don’t know all of the answers to your questions, but what I do know is this. Taekwoon loves you, and no matter how he feels about you crossing over he is going to let you go. And do you know why?” Wonshik shook his head. “Because he’s your big brother. No matter what he feels he will always do what he thinks is best for you. And he knows that crossing over is something that you need to do to finally be at rest. I’ve seen spirits that have stayed on earth too long, and let me tell you it isn’t pretty. So what you need to do is just make sure that you are ready to cross over. Okay?” Wonshik smiled. “Thanks Hongbin.” “No problem. Now let’s get to dinner.”

 

     Dinner with Taekwoon and Sanghyuk was one of the most fun nights Hongbin had ever enjoyed. Taekwoon and Sanghyuk’s constant bickering had him bursting at the seams with laughter. Taekwoon’s cooking was delicious. As the night was winding down Sanghyuk turned in early for the night, claiming that he was put on an early shift the next morning at the café. After bidding Sanghyuk a good night Taekwoon and Hongbin cleaned up the table. At first Taekwoon refused his help, but Hongbin convinced him that it was the least he could do after such a wonderful dinner. After the kitchen was cleaned up Taekwoon looked at the oven. “Oh I almost forgot dessert!” From the oven Taekwoon pulled out a large chocolate cake. “Woah. That looks really good.” Hongbin noticed there were candles on the cake. “What’s with the candles?” Taekwoon looked sad all of a sudden. “I remember yelling at you about my brother last night. So as you can guess he . . . died. Yesterday was the anniversary of his death but-” Taekwoon was already blinking back tears. “Today is my birthday. I was supposed to make a cake with him yesterday so we could eat it today. But we never got to. I kept putting it off because I used to hate cake.” A few tears escaped. “He was so excited to start making it and I kept telling him that we would do it later. I was about to cave and make the damn cake, but I was pretending to be angry with how many times he was asking me to make it. That was when he started wheezing. And then came the blood. And the next thing I knew we were being told he was dead.” Taekwoon took a few shaky breaths. “And I could have stopped it. I could have asked more about how sick he was. I could had looked more into the medicines he was taking. I could have made the fucking cake so at least his last memory of me wasn’t me telling him that he was annoying and that we could do it later. Why didn’t I just make the cake?!” A few sobs made their way past Taekwoon’s lips. “He passed away thinking that his brother was mad at him. If there is an afterlife he probably hates me now.” Hongbin wrapped his arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders. Wonshik was standing at the doorway. “That’s not true. I knew he was just pretending. I knew he wasn’t really mad at me. I still love him. Hongbin tell him that!” Hongbin took a deep breath. “Taekwoon, none of that is true. Wonshik still loves you. So much.” At those words Taekwoon pushed Hongbin away. “And how the hell would you know that?”

 

**“Because he’s right here.”**

  
  



	7. Goodbye

     Taekwoon looked at Hongbin like he was insane, but his expression quickly turned into anger. “What the fuck do you mean he’s here? He’s dead Hongbin.” Hongbin took in a deep breath. “I know he is. But I have the ability to see spirits who haven’t crossed over yet. Wonshik has been on Earth this entire time, watching over you.” Hongbin tried to reach for Taekwoon’s shoulder, but his hand was quickly slapped away. “You’re lying!” Hongbin tried to get another word in but Taekwoon interrupted him. “What kind of sick person are you? Pretending that you can speak with the dead? That’s so messed up. Giving people a false sense of hope that they can speak with their loved ones one last time. And what for? Do you make them pay money? Or do you just get off on people’s hope before you tell them it’s all fake?” Hongbin shook his head quickly. “No! It’s not like that. I really do speak to dead people! And Wonshik is here. He’s been here the entire time. I swear!” “Then prove it to me! Tell me something that only Wonshik would know about.” Hongbin looked over at Wonshik for help. Wonshik stood in the corner of the room now, looking at what his brother had become. It broke his heart to see his brother so broken once again. He quickly thought back on all the things that only he and Taekwoon knew. Hongbin kept a close eye on him, and he could almost see the light bulb that went off in Wonshik’s head. “Hongbin, listen carefully. The middle tile under the table is actually a little cubby for spices and things. But my mom and dad never knew about that. Take the tile out.” Hongbin quickly moved under the table looking for the false tile Wonshik was talking about. He found it quickly and gently pulled it open. The hole in the ground under the tile was no bigger than his fist, and in the hole was a piece of paper.  “Open it.” Wonshik said.

 

Hongbin opened the piece of paper, not exactly sure what it was. The piece of paper was a page from a cookbook, and the recipe on the page was one for a strawberry shortcake. Hongbin looked at Taekwoon, who was growing paler by the second. “Tell him exactly what I am telling you.” Wonshik whispered in his ear. Hongbin nodded. “Wonshik says that he knows you didn’t like cake. But he knew you loved fruits, especially strawberries. So he looked through all of the cookbooks in the house to find a cake he knew you would like.” Taekwoon’s breath began to quicken. “He carried the cookbook with him the whole day, waiting for you to be ready to make the cake. He knew you wanted to make it late at night so the strawberries would be a bit more fresh the next morning. And he knows that you hid the recipe under that tile after he died because you couldn’t live with the guilt from that day. And he knows that you haven’t eaten strawberry shortcake, or even strawberries, since that day.” Taekwoon was the one that looked heartbroken now. “Oh my God. It’s really him.” Wonshik walked over to his brother, wrapping his arms tightly around Taekwoon’s stomach, and Taekwoon felt his icy arms wrapped around him. “Wonshik? I’m so sorry. I could have done so much better. What kind of big brother am I? I had one job. All I had to do was protect you. And-” Taekwoon placed his arms over the icy ones that were circling his ribs now. “And I failed you.” Wonshik looked at Hongbin. “Tell him he doesn’t have to feel guilty. No one noticed what our mother was doing. She was really good at manipulating people into thinking she was telling the truth. I’m not mad at him, and he shouldn’t put so much of the blame on himself. He was the best big brother anyone could ask for.” Once Hongbin delivered the message Taekwoon sniffled a bit. Wonshik turned around, and he suddenly looked amazed. Hongbin knew what was happening. “I think it’s time for you to cross over Wonshik.” Wonshik whipped his head towards Hongbin. “I can’t leave him like this Hongbin. I don’t think he wants me to go.” Hongbin was a little taken aback by the comment and  it showed on his face. Taekwoon looked confused. “What? What is he saying? I still feel him on me so he didn’t leave yet.” Hongbin turned his attention to Taekwoon. “He says he doesn’t want to leave you. And that he doesn’t think you want him to go.” Taekwoon laughed a little at that. “Of course I don’t want him to go. He’s my little brother. But-” Taekwoon turned around in Wonshik’s hold. “You need to go Wonshik. I think you’ve been here long enough. So go and get the peace you deserve to have. Just promise me that when it’s time for me to go you’ll be waiting to greet me on the other side.” Wonshik teared up at his brother’s words, holding him as tightly as he could whispering “I promise.” into Taekwoon’s ear before letting him go. Wonshik walked over to the light, looking back over his shoulder at Hongbin. “Thank you for everything.” Were the final words that left his mouth before he disappeared into the light. 

 

“He’s gone, right?” Taekwoon asked, his arms still wrapped tightly around his ribs. “Yeah. Yeah he’s gone.” Hongbin said, slowly making his way over to Taekwoon. “That’s good. I’m glad he’s finally resting in peace.” Hongbin got close enough to place his hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder. Taekwoon allowed him to keep his hand there. “Hongbin?” “Yeah?” “Can you do me a favor?” Hongbin tightened his grasp on Taekwoon’s shoulder. “Sure. What is it?” Taekwoon turned around, and unwrapped his arms from his ribs just to wrap them around Hongbin’s torso. “Can you just hold me?” Hongbin answered by wrapping Taekwoon in a big hug. Hongbin felt Taekwoon’s shoulders shaking and heard him sniffling. Soon the small sniffles evolved into painful wails. Taekwoon was practically screaming into Hongbin’s shoulder as tears poured hot down his face. Hongbin rubbed soothing circles into Taekwoon’s back. Taekwoon wailed for almost half an hour before he had managed to calm himself down. Once he got his breathing back to normal he tried to get out of Hongbin’s grasp. Hongbin tightened his grip. “Let me take care of you?” Hongbin felt the small nod that Taekwoon gave after a moment of hesitation. Hongbin sat Taekwoon down on the couch, and he made sure that Taekwoon drank a lot of water so he wouldn’t get dehydrated from all the crying. After making sure that Taekwoon’s face was clear from tears and that he was fully hydrated Hongbin laid Taekwoon down on the couch. He then turned off the lights before joining Taekwoon. “Get some rest. You must be exhausted.” Taekwoon nodded, and wiggled a bit to make himself more comfortable before drifting off. Hongbin stayed awake to make sure Taekwoon fell asleep, and once he was sure the other man was sleeping placed a kiss on his forehead.

  
  


**“Good night love.”**

 


	8. Epilogue

     Hongbin and Taekwoon sat in the shade of a large tree in the park near Hongbin’s house. Hongbin was sitting with his back against the tree, silently reading a book. Taekwoon was laying down, his head pillowed on Hongbin’s thighs as he took a nap. One of Hongbin’s hands was playing with Taekwoon’s hair. After a little while, Taekwoon’s eyelids fluttered open, and he let out a little groan as he stretched his arms out a bit. Hongbin smiled down at him. “Good morning sleepyhead. How was your nap?” Taekwoon sat up before he scooched his way next to Hongbin. “It was good. Wonshik visited me in my dream again.” Hongbin chuckled. “Yeah he has a habit of doing that.” Taekwoon smiled before resting his head against Hongbin’s shoulder. “Can you believe it’s been a year since he left?” Taekwoon said as he looked up at the sunny sky above them. Hongbin closed his book slowly. “Yeah. Time sure flies huh? It feels like it was just yesterday you were drunkenly calling me ‘Pretty Binnie’.” Taekwoon smacked Hongbin hard on the arm for the comment. “Can you please just let me live that down?” Hongbin pretended to think for a minute. “Hmmm nah. It’s too funny.” Taekwoon pouted and huffed at Hongbin. Hongbin only responded with a chuckle and a quick peck to Taekwoon’s lips. Taekwoon smiled shyly before giving Hongbin a peck of his own. Hongbin smiled and looked at his watch. “I’d hate to ruin the mood but we’d better get going if we want to make it to Hakyeon’s in time for dinner.” Hongbin helped Taekwoon off the ground and they walked hand in hand to Hakyeon’s house. 

 

Once they got through the door of Hakyeon’s house, the man refused to lock his doors on Sunday evenings, Hongbin and Taekwoon were greeted with the sight of Hakyeon and Sanghyuk bickering over dance styles while Jaehwan was cackling in the background of the animated discussion. Once Hakyeon noticed Taekwoon and Hongbin the argument stopped and dinner began. They had made a tradition of gathering at Hakyeon’s house on Sunday nights to enjoy dinner after he joined their little group. Dinner was lively, with work stories and Hongbin’s tales of the spirits he crossed over that week. At the end of dinner Hakyeon took all the dishes to the sink and returned from the kitchen with a small cake. “I heard Taekwoon’s birthday is today, so I thought we could have some cake to celebrate. I hope you like strawberry shortcake, it’s the only cake I know how to make from scratch.” The cake was placed in front of Taekwoon, and the candles were lit. Hongbin held Taekwoon’s hand as he made his wish and blew out the candles. “What did you wish for?” Jaehwan immediately asked. “Can’t tell.” Taekwoon answered before cutting the cake. Later in the night, when Hongbin and Taekwoon were home and laying in bed Hongbin asked the same question. 

 

**“Why would I wish for anything when I have you?”**

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! Feel free to leave any comments you have.


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